Beet-harvester.



F. POCOCK.

BEET HARVESTER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.25. 191B.

Patented Feb. 25, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET Ir F. POCOCK.

B4EET HARVESTER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 25,19l8- Patented Feb. 25, 1919;

2 SHEETS -SHEEI1.

" UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK POGOGK, 0F SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH T0 WALTER STEADMAN, OF SANDY, UTAH, AND ONE-FOURTH T0 GEORGE E. SCI-IAUS AND SUSIE A. scmws, BOTH or rooms, UTAH.

BEET-HARVESTEB.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 25, 1919.

Application filed March 25, 1918 Serial No. 224,418.-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK Pocoox, a citizen of the United States, residin at Salt Lake City, in the county of Salt ake and State of Utah, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Beet-Harvesters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to beet harvesting machines, and has for its object to provide a beet topping machine which will dig and top the beets and pile the beets in small piles and the tops and foliage in other small piles.

These and other objects which will become a parent I accomplish with the machine i1 ustrated in the accompanying drawings in which similar letters and numerals of reference indicate like parts throughout the several figures.

In the drawings in which I have shown a substantial embodiment of my invention, Figure 1 is a plan view of the machine showing one sidecomplete for digging and topping a row of beets while a portion of the elevating mechanism is-cut away on the other side to show the driving mechanism more clearly. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of one portion of the machine. Fig. 3 is a view from the rear,'of the gears and connections looking at an incline parallel with the elevator race shown in Fig. 2, partsomitted and parts cut away. Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of the beet steadying elements. Fig. 5

, is aside elevation of the same. Fig. 6 is a plan view of the adjusting means, parts cut away.

The present invention is intended to dig the beets loose in the ground, and by means of travelingchains to catch the foliage of the beets and'carrythem up an incline and adjust them in their vertical position so that each beet will be topped at the right place by rota disk knives and dumped in piles behind the machine. The machine has two spaced apart plows A fastened on the front ends of two parallel spaced apart channel iron racks 1 and 2. A rectangular frame C is mounted on'two traction .wheels D and E which are fastened on a rotatable axle F, and on two swivel wheels B'se'cured under thefront corners of the machine. A rocking shaft 3-isijournaledon the front portion of by said frames G.

said frame C having depending arms 4 and a manually movable lever arm 5 by which said rocking shaft is partially rotated. The front end portion of said iron racks 1 and 2 is supported and its vertical position'regulated by a U-shaped bar which is engaged by said depending arms 4, and as said arms 4 are raised or lowered the front ends of said racks and said plows A may be adjusted up and down as desired. A shaft 6 is journaled in the rear end of said frame C and connected with said axle F and rotated by a sprocket chain 7 and sprocket wheels 8 and 9. Two other frames G are journaled on and supported at their rear ends by the said shaft 6, and the rear end portions of said racks 1 and 2 are secured on and carried A sprocket wheel 10 is provided at the front andanother one shown as 11 at the rear end of each of said racks 1 and 2, and a special foliage engagingchain 12 is operated over each set of wheels 10 and 11. As the sides of the machine are duplicated I will hereinafter describe only one side. A tightener 13 is provided to regulate the tension of each of said chains 12 and each link of said chain 12 has laterally extending lugs or pins 14 thereon to engage the foliage or tops of the beets, and the said chains are made to touch each other and hold the foliage of the beets by the spring pressed wheels 44 Two opposed bevel gears 15 are secured on said shaft 6, and each engages its respective bevel pinion 16 which is secured on a vertical shaft 17, mounted in said frame G.

Onthe upper end of said vertical shaft 17 is secured a pinion gear 18 and it in turn meshes with another pinion gear 19 on a short shaft 20 which carries one of the said sprocket wheels 11. A sprocket'wheel 21 is also carried on said shaft 6 and is connected by the chain 22 with another sprocket wheel 23 which is fastened on another shaft 24 that is parallel [with shaft 6, but mounted more toward the central portion of the machine in said frame G. A bevel gear 25 is r the said shaft24 are secured pinion ears 30, the teeth of which mesh with t e gear wheels 31 that in turn are mounted on another shaft 32 through which power is develo 'ed to run the beet steadying elements. On t e, said shaft 32 are secured spaced apart sprocket wheels 33 which drive the beet steadying rack. The said rack consists of sprocket chains 34 on the sides and which operate over smaller sprocket .wheels 35cm the shaft 36 that is journaled in the braces 37. The said chains 34 are'held in spaced relation to each other by the curved transverse bars 38. The beet adjusters are two opposed conically curved metal sheets 40, each hinged toits respective late *1. The saidplates 41 are pivoted at t eir rear ends to'the underside of said iron racks 1 and 2 and with the front end portion of said plates yieldingly held by a spring 42 in such position that the free edges of said curved sheets *0 will be parallel and about one-half inch apart; The apices of said curved sheets 40 are toward the front and hingedly eonneeted with said plates adjacent, one on each side of the-track of the beets. The rear end portions of said sheets 40 are swung on their hinges toward each other by the opposed springs 43.

The operation of my machine is as fol-- lows:

The beet harvester is drawn along and over two rows of beets, the foliage of each row passing between two of said iron racks and the beets of each row are loosened in the ground by the plows A. The traveling chains 12 are made to travel much faster than the moiement of the complete machine over the ground by means of the rotation of the axle F, sprocket wheel 8, chain 7, sprocket wheel 9, shaft 6, bevel gears 15, bevel pinions 16, shafts 17, pinion are 18, gears 19, shafts 20, and sprocket w eels 11. When the foliage of the beetis caught between the two chains 12 it is drawn rapidly up the inclined track of said chains and between said rocks 1 and 2, and when the body of the boot comesin contact withthe free edges of said metal sheets 40 the beet will be forced downwardly until each beet is brought to the same-plane and the plane of the topping disks 28 The said disks 28 revolve toward eachother throu h the motion imparted to them through said shaft 6, sprocket wheels 21', 0 nine 22, sprocket whdels 23, shafts 24, bevel gears 25, bevel pinione 26 and shafts 27.

The beet steadyihgblements will be carried on aninclined lane rallel with the said racks 1 and 2 a d at same rate of travel and motion through the said shafts 24, pinion gears 39, intermeshgears 81 and shaft 82. The said curved bars 38will'e'ngnge tho'rear side ofthe'beet as shown in 4 and the body of the beet will be held against said topping disks 28 at the instant of severing the to s. The apioes of the adjusting sheets 40 will be yieldingly held b said springs 42 in close proximity to each 0 her and the hinges with which they are fastened to their respective plates 41 at the front end are spring hinges with the ob]ect of allowin the follage of the beet to ass between said sheets 40 while the curved orm given the said sheets will hold their free edges against the foliage just above the top of the beet body similar to passing the fOlla e of a beet between the human hands w is the little fin rs are w tb portion of the b0 5! of the beet wiiwa and the fore fingers held arallel to ma other and farther apart. T e tops and foliage are to be caught in a receptacle which is not shown but is to be suspended between the braces 39 and dumped as desired while the topped beets are caught in another receptac e, not shown, held betwee the same braces 39. I thus provide an e cient beet di ger or loosener, an elevator to catch the 0 iage of the beets and rapidly carry them up an incline which adjusts their vertical p0 sition by new and novel means to the lane of the topping disks; and a new stea ying means ooactin with the elevatin means to move and retain the beet against t topping disks.-

Having thus described my invention I desire to secure by Letters Patent and claim 1. In a beet harvester two 0 conically shaped shells yieldingl mounted to adjust the vertical position 0 beets carried between said shells, and meet endless chains to engage the foliage of ts and carry them between said shells.

2. In a beet harvester the combination of wheel: supported frames; means to carry beets by the foliage over said frames; topping knives operatively mounted on one of said frames; means to adjust the vertical position of said hosts as they near said hives, said means consist of two posed conically shaped she ls yieldi missed on one of said frames.

3. In a beet harvester the combination of a imus so at its rear 1) the axle of traction w eels means to eng ge the foliageorf l beets and carry them said frame topping lm i'ves mo'u in em frame; two opposed conicall sh sheets'yfieldingly moilnted and spa apart to engage the top portion-of a beet as it therebetween 'and adjust its position vertical to said knives.

41in" heet'harvester the can of demo to the foli o! loosened beets and rainy theth up an incline"; opposed M110 top are beets; two pointas transaersdy cursed shects to adiulltaaid beets to the plane of said knives; and means adapted to be yieldingly held against the to steady the body of said beets when in confoliage of beets where it leaves the body of 10 tact with said knives. the beet to adjust the beet to the plane of said 5. In a beet harvester the combination of knives; and means to steady the body of the 5 chains to engage the foliage of loosened beet when passing said knives.

beets and carry them between topping knives; In testimony whereof I have al'fixed my two opposed rotatable topping knives; opsignature. posed pointed transversely curved sheets FRANK POCOCK.

Copies of this patent msy be obtained for in cents cash, by sddressing the commissioner of Istuts.

Wsshlngtsl, D. G. 

